Gun Gang Busted: Trio Jailed After NCA Sting on Isle of Dogs
Caught Red-Handed with Firearms
Artem Kuts, 39, from the Isle of Dogs, and Oliver Mark, 40, of Stratford, have been locked up for 15 and eight years after a National Crime Agency (NCA) crackdown on illegal guns. Following a seven-day trial at Southwark Crown Court, the pair were found guilty of firearms offences on 28 May. A third man, Alexander Georgiev, 26, who pleaded guilty earlier, was sentenced to six years.
Surveillance Led to Dramatic Arrest
NCA teams spotted Kuts leaving his home on 12 October last year carrying a brown paper bag. He hopped into a black BMW 5 Series registered to Mark. Georgiev, also seen hopping in and out of the car with the same bag, raised immediate suspicion.
Armed officers swooped on the vehicle, discovering a Russian Baikal self-loading pistol and eight rounds of Makarov ammo stashed in the rear footwell.
More Guns Found Hidden at Home
Police didn’t stop there. A search of Kuts’ garden uncovered two more Baikal pistols and 14 rounds of ammunition, cleverly hidden in a corner behind a garden storage unit. Georgiev was caught minutes later trying to escape in a blue BMW and was arrested for conspiracy to supply firearms.
NCA Warns of Dangers Posed by Illegal Guns
Jacque Beer, NCA Regional Head of Investigations, said: “Illegal firearms drive serious violence, intimidation and coercion in our communities. Seizing handguns like the ones found in the Isle of Dogs, with the help of Metropolitan Police, protects the public from this grave threat. The NCA works tirelessly to stop criminals like Kuts, Mark and Georgiev obtaining firearms and it is only right they should serve long jail sentences for their crimes.”
